Life Your Way {Full}

Summer Games: Water Balloon Learning

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:00:09 GMT

The following post is from Kristina of Toddler Approved:

source: Kristina Buskirk

As a parent, there really isn’t a start or end to when we can create learning time with our kids. We can find ways to help our kids learn new skills (or review old ones) through the simplest tasks or activities. I love to find ways to embed learning into our daily play time and outdoor activities.

Recently I posted 10 ways to learn and play with water over at Toddler Approved and since it has been hot where we live, we keep finding new ways to practice simple academic skills using water during our outdoor playtime.

Today I am sharing a simple summer activity that uses word cards and water balloons. This activity could be used to help with learning new vocabulary, memorizing sight words, practicing math facts, etc.

This activity started as water balloon playtime where the kids just threw balloons at the fence. To focus it on reviewing an academic skill, all we did was grab Sharpies, tape, and notecards.

Supplies:

sharpies
water balloons
water
notecards
painters tape

source: Kristina Buskirk

Directions:

The first thing we did was fill up the water balloons. I like to do this when my kids are sleeping or otherwise occupied.

Next, I wrote a simple sight word on each balloon, and I wrote the same word on a notecard. Once I had written ten word cards and each had a matching word balloon, we went outside!

Before we played, we secured the word cards to the fence using painters tape. Then my son grabbed a sight word water balloon, read the word, looked for the matching word on the fence, and then threw the balloon at the fence to try and soak his word card.

This simple activity could be adapted for younger or less coordinated kids by changing the water balloons to a spray bottle. Using a spray bottle requires less hand-eye coordination but is still really motivating and fun.

source: Kristina Buskirk

Preschooler Version: Call out colors and have them spray or throw a water balloon at the correct colored paper or write the ABCs/123′s on the cards and balloons and have the child toss the ABC balloons at the ABC cards.

Elementary Age+ Version: Grab some hula hoops and make number sentences for water balloon math like No Time for Flashcards or write basic multiplication facts on water balloons and answers on the notecards…. and start throwing!

You can find 50 ways to play with water balloons at Fantastic Fun and Learning and you can even find ways to create and paint with water balloons at Growing a Jeweled Rose and Housing a Forest.

Have you used water balloons for learning or creating? How?


	Kristina is a mom of 2 and a former Special Ed teacher for children with communication disabilities. She blogs at Toddler Approved as she looks for ways to make life a little more fun and creative with her kids while embedding learning into everything that she does. Kristina tweets as @ToddlerApproved and can be found on FB and Pinterest.

Summer Games: Water Balloon Learning
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Planning Tips to Help You Make the Most of Your Summer

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:19:22 GMT

source: Mandi Ehman

Summer is underway at an almost frantic pace for most of the families I know, including ours, and now is a good time to step back, reevaluate and invest a little bit of time in planning so that you can make the most of your summer while it lasts!

We’ve got a lot of great tips and resources in the archives, so I’ve pulled them all into one place for you today to help you get started.

These are my best tips, but I’d love to hear yours as well, so be sure to chime in in the comments with your favorite summer tips!

Planning & Tips

Pack a To-Go Bag for Easy Outings

Tips for Getting Out of the House with Small Children

Five Ways to Keep Your Car Organized During the Summer Months

Strategies to Avoid Pre-Vacation Stress

Things to Do in Your Kitchen Before You Leave for Vacation

More Summer Menu Planning Tips

Preparing for a Road Trip

Activities

FREE Summer Fun eBook {Recipes, Crafts, Activites & More!}

The {Relaxing} Summer Bucket List

101 Ways to Embrace Summer

101 MORE Ways to Embrace Summer

101 Ways to Embrace Summer {The 2013 List}

For Your Medicine Cabinet

The No-Pain Method for Removing Splinters

DIY Tick & Mosquito Spray

Homemade Baking Soda & Coconut Oil Deodorant

EWG’s 2013 Guide to Safer Sunscreens and Sun Safety

Bentonite Clay in Your First Aid Kit

Summer Food

FREE Backyard Barbecue Recipes eBook

Easy Oven-Broiled S’mores + 104 S’more Variations

37 Eat Well, Spend Less Potluck Dishes for Summer

46 Ways to Serve Fruits & Veggies at Snacktime

How do you make the most of summer? What’s your best tip or advice?


	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Planning Tips to Help You Make the Most of Your Summer
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Sorry, You Can’t Have a Chemical Free Life

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:00:15 GMT

The following post is from Katie of Kitchen Stewardship:

source: Kitchen Stewardship

“I don’t eat vegetables with chemicals.”

“I choose to use personal products without chemicals.”

“I don’t like putting chemicals in my body.”

WRONG!

Do you drink water?

H2O.

Even the purest filtered water or crystalline, unpolluted water from the highest mountaintop.

Do you use salt?

NaCl.

Even unrefined salt directly from the sea or ancient mines.

Do you breathe air?

Even oxygen is a chemical.

What is a chemical?

“A chemical is an element, in that it has a specific molecular composition. An element is a chemical substance made of specific kinds of atoms that cannot be broken down any further; in short, elements are the purest forms of chemicals known to man.” (source)

Elements are chemicals.

In other words, not just oxygen, but hydrogen, carbon, copper, phosphorus, magnesium and silver are chemicals.

You’ve heard of carbon – the building block of all life? And copper, phosphorus, and magnesium are on the nutrition facts on the sides of your cereal boxes (if you eat cereal, I know, I know) – they’re necessary nutrients for human health.

Any combination of those elemental chemicals is also a chemical: table salt (sodium chloride), water, hydrogen peroxide and more.

Just about everything we touch, eat, drink, or breathe is a chemical or combinations of chemicals.

So how did the word “chemical” get such a bad reputation?

Nobody wants chemicals in their food or personal products, because they think that chemicals by their nature will harm them.

We say we don’t even want to use chemicals to get rid of wasp nests or kill ants in our kitchens…I have said those things. But I was wrong.

Chemical Free?

What we really mean when we say, “Chemical free” is, I would venture, “Toxin free,” or “Without toxic chemicals.”

We don’t want things that will harm us or make us sick coming into our homes and our bodies.

Saying we avoid chemicals when we mean we avoid only the bad ones is kind of like saying we don’t like weather, when what we really mean is bad weather.

We could just go with the positive spin on things and say we want “all natural” products.

You know, natural. Like lead. Radium. Mercury.

Things that are just basic. Simple. Elements in their natural form.

We can’t wait to get these things in our water, our medicines, and our vaccines.

Oh. Wait.

That stuff is “all natural?”

We seem to be having a vocabulary problem today.

Lots of things are all natural.

Is it any wonder that labeling is confusing and it’s tough to figure out what to buy, since we call everything bad a “chemical” and everything good “natural,” yet everything we touch is a chemical and all sorts of nasty stuff is natural?

Sure, humans have fabricated plenty of chemicals that didn’t used to exist a century ago. Many of them cause cancer and other diseases, and many of them help treat those same diseases. (Some probably do both.) A whole bunch of them are formulated from elements in their natural form.

I doubt we’ll be able to change the momentum of society and rebrand toxins as “manmade chemicals” or just “toxic chemicals” or “toxins”, but we can be a little smarter in our own conversations.

And remember that the marketing teams at most businesses are smart with semantics, too: Don’t buy it just because it’s “all natural.”

You might end up with a natural toxic chemical.

How do words and labels trip you up in your quest for the natural life? Or is it a “green” life? Or, you know, being crunchy? Sigh…


	Katie Kimball is a mom of three who spends a ton of time in the kitchen making real food with whole ingredients and then blogs about her successes and failures at Kitchen Stewardship. She believes everything in life is a gift from God and should be taken care of wisely.

Sorry, You Can’t Have a Chemical Free Life
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

What’s Your Best Morning Time Saver Tip?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:45:57 GMT

As a fairly uncoordinated person, I’m in awe of the actress in the new Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer commercial!

You’d think her acrobatic morning routine might involve some sort of camera trick or special effects, but in reality, the actress is Emma, a dancer from London who trained as an acrobat as a child then switched to modern dance. (Okay, and the buttons were backed with magnets, but watch the commercial and you’ll see that’s really a tiny detail!).

She worked with a choreographer for a week before the shoot, mastering 19 different “tricks” to get completely dressed in a single take every time on the day of the shoot.

While I won’t be dancing or flipping into my outfits in this lifetime, I love the idea of finding ways to get ready faster, especially since my “fast” routine still takes me about 30 minutes from start to finish (although I usually spend 15-20 minutes in the shower, so my getting ready time is pretty short already!).

What’s your best tip for cutting your morning routine? Visit MaxtheMornings.com for more tips from Nia Vardalos (for My Big Fat Greek Wedding) for maximizing your time in the mornings!

Vaseline® Spray & Go Moisturizer is a quick, continuous 360° spray lotion that moisturizes deeply and absorbs in seconds, so you can put your clothes right on and get on with your day! Available in three formulas – Total Moisture®, Aloe Fresh, and Cocoa Radiant™ – this fast to apply, quick to absorb line of lotions leaves skin instantly soft – not sticky or greasy. Find out more at www.maxthemorning.com!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Vaseline. The opinions and text are all mine.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Vaseline.  The opinions and text are all mine.

What’s Your Best Morning Time Saver Tip?
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Weekly Reads + Budgeting for Books {6/17/13}

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:03:59 GMT

I’m feeling like my current reading rut might be permanent! As I focus on work and homeschooling, I’m just not prioritizing time to read in my daily schedule, and I think part of the problem is that it’s been a long time since I read a fiction book I really loved, the kind that leads to late nights and stolen moments with the Kindle.I’d really love to find a new dystopian/fantasy series to read, except there’s the whole part about not buying any books right now (more on that down below!), so I just feel kind of stuck and uninspired.

Head here to see Katie’s post for this week. We also want to know what you’re reading! Add your blog post to the linky below or leave a comment with your favorite reads from this week.

This Week’s Reads

Choking on a Camel by Michal Ann McArthur
I was intrigued by the Amazon description of this book and picked it up a few weeks ago when it was free: “Meet Alex Ferguson: Compulsive skeptic. Devout believer. At odds with the group-think at her fundamentalist university. Preached at and taken advantage of. Agonizing over the recent death of her brother. Hurting for the larger world she lives in. Wrestling with the God she wants to love but maybe hates and definitely doesn’t understand.”

Unfortunately, I’m not far enough into it to have really formed an opinion. I got off to a slow start because it’s kind of a depressing book (at least in the beginning), and I think I’d prefer a lighter read right now, but I’m enjoying it so far as Alex wrestles with her many questions about faith and God.

With The Girls

While my own track record hasn’t been so good these past few weeks, the girls are flying through books, which makes me so incredibly happy, especially given my concerns about our oldest’s reading skills last summer!

The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes (Super Special #1): The Best is Yet to Come by Anne Mazer
Amanda and I talked about this briefly in the comments on another post, and I’m always torn when the girls pick a non-classic to read. On one hand, I love that they’re reading, and I think it’s okay to enjoy some fluff from time to time; on the other hand, I think an appreciation for the classics comes most often from simple exposure, and I want to be sure they develop that as well.

That said, I pulled a box of hand-me-down books out of the attic the other day, and the big girls jumped right in and began reading. Peyton (8) read this one in just a couple days, and while there are a couple others from the series she’s planning to read, she moved right on to other books from our home library, including the two below, so I think we’re finding a good balance for now!

Five True Dog Stories by Margaret Davidson
This book and then next one are both from the Sonlight Core A read-aloud collection, and Peyton was excited to pick up a small chapter book and read through the whole thing in one day. With fun, true stories about five famous pups, this book was fun for her because she made connections between various places and historical events as she read!

A Grain of Rice by Helena Clare Pittman
Our girls have a bit of an obsession with China, and Pey thoroughly enjoyed this folktale, which is a short, easy read about the power of persistence and thinking outside the box!

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
We’re huge fans of Beverly Cleary around here, and the girls have all listened to these audiobooks dozens of times, so I wasn’t surprised that Ramona Quimby was the first chapter book that Dylan (7) has actually read from front to back (it helps when you already know what it says!).

Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo: Who’s Afraid of Fourth Grade? by Nancy E. Krulik
Her “fluff” this week also came from our box in the attic, and she’s bringing me daily (sometimes hourly) updates about Katie Kazoo Switcheroo, which is just a silly, fun story about a little girl who switches places with several of her friends as she’s trying to deal with the pressure of starting the fourth grade.

A Question for You

This summer I’ve come across dozens of books that I’ve added to my wishlist, but I’m trying hard to read through some of the books on my Kindle before I buy anymore. I typically only buy $7-11 books if I’m going to read them right away, but sometimes I come across an ebook on sale that I’ll buy “for later” and then later never seems to come, so I want to read those plus a bunch of the classics that I’ve downloaded recently before I spend money on anything else.

I could probably find some of the books on my wishlist at the library (although our library doesn’t have the greatest selection), but I often have a hard time finishing a paper book these days since I do a lot of my reading at night and don’t enjoy reading with a book light!

How about you? How much money do you spend on books per month? Do you have a set budget? Do you use your library to offset the cost of your reading habit? Do set limits for yourself on the books you can buy and having to finish your t0-be-read pile first?

Share Your Reading List


	Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Weekly Reads + Budgeting for Books {6/17/13}
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Get This Week’s Time Management for Families Bundle for $7.40 {BundleoftheWeek.com}

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:01:33 GMT

Running a household, caring for children and still finding time to pursue your passions is not an easy order, but this week’s bundle is designed to give you the tools to make the most of the 24 hours you’re given each day. Discover tips for creating schedules and routines, the importance of rest, strategies to help you be on time and more!

Get this bundle for almost 60% off this week only.

With your purchase, you’ll get all five of the following ebooks:

Tell Your Time by Amy Lynn Andrews
Honoring the Rhythm of Rest by Daniele Evans
28 Days to Timeliness by Davonne Parks
Creating a Schedule That Works by Marlene Griffith
The Homemaker’s Guide to Creating the Perfect Schedule by Amy Roberts

Get yours today!

Even if you’re not interested in this week’s bundle, be sure to sign up for the BundleoftheWeek.com weekly newsletter so you can be the first to know about the newest bundle:

Get This Week’s Time Management for Families Bundle for $7.40 {BundleoftheWeek.com}
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

The Benefit of Taking a Few Steps Back…And a Breath

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:00:21 GMT

The following post is from Krystal of Krystal Griffin Photography:

Source: Krystal Griffin Photography

I want to talk to you today about an important component in taking authentic photographs. What I mean by authentic is an image that shows a true expression and posture, an authentic representation of the individual.

We often tend to bring the energy level up when we are photographing an individual. We raise our volume level, speed of speech and how much we talk. When you want an image bursting with energy this may be a good idea. But when you are looking for an expression that is iconic to that individual, it may be best to take a few steps back, take a deep breath and relax.

Let me explain in more detail.

source: Krystal Griffin Photography

Take a few steps back.

Sometimes we need to remove ourselves from our subject’s space. Taking a few steps back will allow them to relax and be in a more introspective, neutral state of mind. You may have to crop the photo because you stepped so far back, that’s ok! Give them some space, and you will see a change in their expression.

source: Krystal Griffin Photography

Take breath and let them take one too.

While you take a moment or two, tell your subject to sit and relax, take a deep breath and “chill out”. While this sounds a little odd, the next few details explain how this will flow.

source: Krystal Griffin Photography

Stay quiet and calm.

Using a calm, low tone of voice goes a long way in setting the relax atmosphere you are after. You don’t need to chatter the whole time. If they are looking for direction, just explain that you are fiddling with some camera settings.

source: Krystal Griffin Photography

Watch and wait.

At some point you might tweak their pose and ask them to look in your direction. But continue with your reminders to relax, explaining that you are adjusting a few things. By this point I’m sure your camera is well adjusted, but the point in telling them this is so that they don’t feel uncomfortable under your watchful eye.

Here comes the important part, the part we have been working up to – just watch and wait. Just wait. And carefully watch for it! Snap a few frames if you think looking busy will add to their comfort level. But as long as your subject isn’t getting impatient just wait until you get that authentic moment. Trust me; you’ll know it when you see it.

Authentic photographs are often some of our favorites.

What is one of your favorite photographs? Or better yet, show us in the comments!


		Krystal is a stay-at-home mom of four children, ages 4-9, whom she homeschools. She is acutely aware of how fast her children are changing and is passionate about keeping family memories alive through photographs. Now and then she gets to help other families’ bottle up their own memories at Krystal Griffin Photography.

The Benefit of Taking a Few Steps Back…And a Breath
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Weekend Reading: June 15, 2013

Mandi — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 12:01:40 +0000

source: Mandi Ehman

We had the craziest weather this week — hot and humid one day, cool and rainy the next, and a series of thunderstorms on Thursday, followed by this gorgeous sunset. Welcome to summer, I guess!

Today we’re off to spend the day at my dad’s, swimming and barbecuing and just generally enjoying Father’s Day weekend. The girls are excited to have a chance to practice their swimming skills (they haven’t been in the month since we’ve been back from Florida), and I’m looking forward to sitting in the sunshine without a to-do list!

Here are some of my favorite posts from this week. As always, check out what I’m reading to see the other posts that make me stop and think. You’ll find new posts all week long!

Family {Fun in the Sun}

10 Tips For Traveling With Your Kids This Summer | Inspired to Action

More Ideas for Simplifying Travel with Young Kids | The Minimalist Mom

Our Summer: A Little Chaos, A Little Structure | Simple Mom

Work {Blogging as a Business}

Why I Think You Should Break the Blogging Rules | Money Saving Mom

How I Generate a Full-Time Income Online | Andrea Dekker

The First Step in Getting Started as a Work-at-Home Mom? Decide. | The Happiest Home

Food {Summer Treats}

Peach Cobbler | My Blessed Life

Homemade Fudge Pops | 100 Days of Real Food

Strawberry Swirl Frozen Yogurt | Good Life {Eats}

And because I can always use more justification for my, ahem, habit, This Is Your Brain on Coffee!

Have a great weekend!

	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Weekend Reading: June 15, 2013
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

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Comments

Thanks so much, Kacey! This is my favorite post of the week, so ... by Mandi @ Life Your Way
Your Weekend Reading posts are always among the ones I look ... by Kacey

New Printable 2014 Calendars

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:25:20 GMT

The 2014 printable calendars weren’t actually on my radar yet, but I’ve had quite a few people who must be planning ahead who have requested them, so here they are!

As a bonus, you can now save any text you type into these printables on your computer, and we’re working on updating the rest of the collection as well.

Click the links below to download or print each printable:

Watch for more new home management printables in the coming weeks as well!


	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

*New* Printable 2014 Calendars
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

What Independent Work Looks Like in Our Homeschool

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:01:11 GMT

source: Mandi Ehman

I’ve talked a lot about our move to “independent work” with the girls as I described our curriculum plans for the upcoming year and our reasons for schooling year-round, and truly, I can’t describe how much of a difference this has made for us. Instead of always feeling overwhelmed and like I was dropping the ball on school or work (or school and work), I actually enjoy homeschooling now and spend most days in awe of these girls and their hard work as they move through their list of subjects each morning.

Truthfully, this is not the kind of homeschooler I thought I’d be. I imagined days filled with unit studies and hands-on activities and dioramas rather than notebooks and workbooks and memorization (partly born from my own Montessori education and partly from the numerous warnings that homeschooling doesn’t have to mean “school at home”), but as we’ve embraced the classical education model and the necessity of having them work independently, we’ve found something that actually works really well for us.

To the point that my 8-year-old, who spent the first half of the year with double assignments as a consequence for complaining, randomly remarked to me that she “really liked school now” three or four weeks after we made the shift. And she still feels that way six months later!

While I’d love to be one of those moms who makes learning fun, I’m not convinced it’s necessary. School currently takes about 3 hours each morning (and we’ll likely add an extra hour in the afternoon when we add CC memory work back in in the fall) and I’ve found that this approach means that they can sit and work hard at school in the morning and then spend their afternoon building forts and pioneer stoves and booby traps, or sewing dresses for their dolls, creating murals and putting on plays.

And that’s how we blend classical and unschooling models in our home. School is rigorous and actual work, not work disguised as play (although it’s still fun sometimes!), and play is unstructured and free. For us, that works.

source: Mandi Ehman

So, back to independent learning…

When I first realized that we were going to need to move to this model, we simply began by having them complete a certain number of pages in their Explode the Code workbook first thing each morning. We encourage them to ask for help, which they often do, but the responsibility for getting it done is theirs alone. (As a side note, we frequently have to remind our kindergartener to slow down and wait for one of us because she’d happily work on reading and math independently like her big sisters, but she’s not to the point where we’re ready to turn her loose just yet!)

Shortly after that move, we switched from Singapore to Teaching Textbooks for math, which also made that an independent learning subject, since the teacher comes with the program (woohoo!). While our original intention had simply been to remove my husband and I from the equation because it was causing so many fights with our oldest, adding it to their independent workload kind of sparked an avalanche, and we slowly began adding another subject every week or two, tweaking it as we went.

While they’re free to work in any order, their list of independent subjects now looks like this:

reading workbook + reading for 20 minutes
math
daily copywork (3-4 sentences from a book they’re reading)
handwriting
Bible
piano
daily journal
geography (we added this workbook recently because I love the progression of map skills it teaches)
CC memory work (on break for summer)

We just decided on the Song School Latin 1 program for our foreign language, so all four girls will sit and watch those DVD lessons and listen to the song CD together, and then the big girls will have worksheets to go with the lessons.

In the fall, we’ll be adding history & science worksheets to coincide with their weekly memory work as well. My desire is to create a format that prompts them to read more about the current topic, summarize their thoughts, draw a picture, etc., but we’re still working through what that will look like. I want the worksheets to serve as a support for their research and reading, not to be the focus or end goal, if that makes sense.

source: Mandi Ehman

Typically, Sean and I are both in the room with the girls during school (our house is an open floor plan, so the kitchen/family room is basically one big room), both to answer questions and to help them stay on track (they are, after all, still kids!).

When they finish up their list of subjects, usually between 11 and 11:30, I then sit down to read out loud to everybody for about 30 minutes. The big girls and I then read a chapter of Life of Fred and do math drills together and then do our language arts lessons (which is my favorite part of the day and not really a subject I’d want to give up teaching even if I could find a good independent work model!).

I’m enjoying this approach to school not only because it frees up my time for work, which in turn gives me more time for preparing healthy meals, spending time with my husband and teaching the girls to cook (which they’re fairly enthusiastic about right now), but also because of the life lessons built in. They’re learning time management and self-discipline, how to stay on task, that work comes before play and that they control how long they have to work based on how well they focus.

Do I think it’s the only way to homeschool? Absolutely not. It’s just the one that’s working best for us right now!

Do you incorporate independent work into your homeschool?


	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

What Independent Work Looks Like in Our Homeschool
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

A Few Shots from the June Photo Hunt

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:30:34 GMT

source: Krystal Griffin

Are you participating in the June Photo Hunt?

Krystal has created a list of June-themed items — like ladybugs and rain, baseballs and sprinklers — for you and your family to hunt for and capture with your camera this month.

source: Krystal Griffin

She’s using the opportunity to help her kids improve their photography skills, and I think you’ll agree that these photos — all of which were taken by them — are phenomenal!

source: Krystal Griffin

In our house, we’re using the hunt as a fun activity to keep away the summer boredom blues, without worrying too much about actual photography skills. If you have multiple cameras or iPhones/iPods, you could even do it scavenger hunt style and see who can capture pictures of the most items in an hour.

Download the photo hunt image or printable here.

source: Krystal Griffin

And if your kids are still very little, Erin has also created a pre-reader edition of the list with icons for 25 of the hunt items!

source: Krystal Griffin

It’s not too late to work on June’s photo hunt, and we’ll have a brand new list for you to kick off July!

Are you participating in the photo hunt? Be sure to leave the links to your post or favorite photo in the comments!

A Few Shots from the June Photo Hunt
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Yes, You Do Like Gluten-Free Food

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:01:07 GMT

The following post is from Amy of Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free:

source: Amy Green

You do like gluten-free food.

Maybe you don’t eat a gluten-free diet. Maybe you can eat absolutely anything you want. And, maybe, just maybe you’ve decided that gluten-free food is not for you.

One of the most common responses I get when someone finds out that I eat a gluten-free diet is something like, “Oh. I tried something gluten-free once and it was disgusting.”

I can’t say I don’t agree with them. I’ve eaten gluten-free food that’s not fit for consumption. I’ve also eaten wheat-based food that’s just as unappealing. So, when someone tells me that they don’t like gluten-free food I know that they don’t really understand the meaning of gluten-free.

Just because there’s one or two gluten-free foods you’ve tried that you don’t like doesn’t mean all gluten-free food is bad. Ask anyone who’s shared a meal with my family. They’ll tell you that you really want an invitation to dinner at our house.

And, in all honesty, if everyone ate more of these foods America wouldn’t have a 26.2% obesity rate.

Here are some foods you’ve probably eaten in the last week that are completely gluten-free. Not only are they healthy, but I’m sure you like most of them, too.

Fruits and Vegetables

Totally gluten-free and full of nutrients, fresh produce is something our family can never get enough of. My 15 month old, Nate, loves all types of fruits and veggies. He’d rather eat an orange than a cookie. We buy organic whenever possible. Here’s a free printable guide to help you determine which items to buy organic.

Try this Simple Berry Salad, Mango Pineapple Smoothie Pops, or try adding seasonal fruit to your salads.

Beans

Beans work their way into our meals several times a week at least. They’re frugal, easy to prepare, and packed with nutrition. We live in Texas, where there are incredible Tex-Mex restaurants. It’s usually simple to find a gluten-free meal and, of course, I always love their use of beans.

Try beans as a healthy toddler snack, learn how to quickly incorporate beans into your meals, or whip up this incredible Brownie Batter Dip. Yep, it’s made with beans!

Eggs

Eggs are versatile and easy to prepare. You can eat them any time of day and they can often be prepared in no time flat. We have breakfast for dinner at least a few times a month. It’s one of those meals you can prep ahead of time and get on the table quickly.

Tired of plain scrambled eggs? Try dressing them up! Or, make protein-packed breakfast pancakes or this incredible egg strada with mushrooms, spinach, and cheese.

Dairy

While dairy is gluten-free, when it’s processed into other foods, such as some ice creams and cheeses it can have gluten added to it. It’s important to always read labels. Greek yogurt is a great snack that’s also high in protein.

Try frothing your own milk with no special equipment for a homemade latte. Or, make your own Buttermilk Dill Ranch Dressing.

Grains and Seeds

While some grains like farro, wheat, spelt, and kamut are not gluten-free there are so many tasty gluten-free grains you can choose from. Some of my favorites include wild rice, brown rice, quinoa, millet, and buckwheat.

If you’re like me and are prone to forgetting that you have a pot of rice on the stove top and it boils over every single time, try baking it instead. Or, try this simple beans and rice dish for a fast weeknight meal.

What gluten-free foods have you been eating lately?


	A stay-at-home mom, wife, and passionate cook, Amy strives to make each meal healthy and delicious. When she’s not doing laundry, dishes, or caring for her son, she plays around with food in the kitchen developing new recipes, which she shares at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free. Amy also publishes The Balanced Platter and authored the book Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free: 180 Easy & Delicious Recipes You Can Make in 20 Minutes or Less.

Yes, You Do Like Gluten-Free Food
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

3 Steps to Get Your Car Ready for Summer

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:55:22 GMT

source: Mandi Ehman

Summer is here! For us, that means more time in the car running to and from play dates and park days, visiting semi-local family and friends and taking mini-vacations.

Which means it’s time for a car checkup, because the last thing I want to do is get stuck on the side of the road somewhere on a hot and sticky day with four tired girls!

Here are three ways you can prepare your car for summer:

1. Check your tire pressure & wear, fluid levels, etc.

The change of the seasons is a good time for routine maintenance, like checking your tires, fluid levels, etc.

To check your tire pressure, first refer to your owner’s manual for the recommended tire pressure for your car. Then, use a tire gauge (if you don’t have one, many gas station air pumps have one built in) to check the air pressure. If it’s too low, add more air; too high, let some out. Recheck the pressure until it’s within the recommended range.

Then, visually check the wear on your tires. The tread should be evenly worn across each tire; uneven wear can indicate poorly aligned or imbalanced tires or improper pressure.

In addition to checking your tire pressure and wear before you head out for road trips or vacation, be sure to check the wiper fluid, engine oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid and power steering fluid levels. Or schedule a tune up at your favorite shop and ask them to check them for you!

2. Wash and wax it, inside and out.

It never ceases to amaze me how very many bugs end up meeting an untimely death on the front of our car. Take some time now to wash and wax your car to prevent those bugs from becoming a permanent part of the paint scheme! Not only will it look spiffy, but cleaning off the bugs and grime from your adventures will be easier as well.

Cleaning the inside of our van often feels even more futile than cleaning the house, but now is a great time to vacuum up crumbs, unstick any melted gum or crayons, clean the finger (and toe!) prints off the windows and check hidden compartments for buried treasure. Hint: stock the compartments with plastic grocery bags for collecting trash instead!

3. Clean out any winter gear and replace with summer gear.

In the winter, you’ll find blankets, coats, ice scrapers and more loaded into the back of our van, but when the weather starts to warm up, I can’t wait to put away the signs of cold weather and pull out our summer gear instead, which often includes an extra tube of sunscreen, a gallon of water, a picnic blanket and random pool gear.

$80 Rebate When You Buy Hankook Tires

The new Ventus S1 noble2 tire from Hankook offers an asymmetric tread pattern and four-channel rib design to give you extra confidence and handling in wet conditions. They’re also designed to prevent unwanted road noise, increase your grip around corners and improve winter condition traction. With a 50,000-mlle limited treadwear warranty, these tires are designed to last!

For a limited time, select tires are eligible of the 2013 Great Catch Mail-In Rebate offer! Get $80 back when you purchase a set of one of the following:

Ventus V12 evo (Ultra-High Performance Summer)
Ventus S1 noble2 (Ultra-High Performance All-Season)
Optimo H727 (Premium Touring All-Season)
Dynapro HT (Premium Highway All-Season Light Truck/SUV)

Click here to learn more!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hankook Tires. The opinions and text are all mine.

http://home.yourway.net/files/2013/06/drive.jpg

3 Steps to Get Your Car Ready for Summer
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Fighting My Octopi-Like Tendencies

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:30:57 GMT

I’d rather not admit this out loud (I might ruin my perfect reputation — ha!), but I’ve spent the last 6+ months feeling very scattered.

While I thrive on keeping multiple balls in the air at once, I felt like my balls were all rolling around on the floor instead of gliding gracefully through the air, and I just couldn’t seem to get on top of anything, let alone everything. And when the first trimester morning sickness and exhaustion hit…well, then they all started to roll downhill, with me chasing frantically after them.

I’ve actually dealt with something similar several times — a kind of chronic exhaustion and fatigue that left me unable to focus — but I had learned to address those physical symptoms with vitamin D supplements and apple cider vinegar water, and this time it just felt like I’d lost my ability to manage my time and get things done.

Thankfully, my morning sickness and exhaustion began to fade just in time for our trip to Florida at the beginning of May, and even in the midst of family fun, relaxation and Disney, I was anxious to get home and get back to work, which felt good after a few months of dreading my work responsibilities.

When we got back, I mentioned to some friends that I needed to move back to a handwritten to-do list because using various apps and documents just wasn’t working, and the resounding response was, “YES! I need to do this too!”

Within hours of making that commitment (but before I’d actually taken the time to get off my tush and go find my notebook and write my list!), I came across this quote by H. Jackson Brown, Jr., which perfectly sums up everything I had been feeling:

Talent without discipline
is like an octopus on roller skates.
There’s plenty of movement,
but you never know if it’s going to be
forward, backwards, or sideways.

I can’t even describe the epiphany I had when I read those words. Despite the somewhat hilarious word picture they paint, I felt as if it had been written while watching me flail around for the past 6 months!

So I got out my notebook and did a huge brain dump, and then I began making to-do lists. Long-term to-do lists, monthly to-do lists (focusing on just one major project at a time), realistic weekly to-do lists and daily to-do lists to keep me on track. (The key for me, in addition to actually making the lists, is to keep my notebook open next to me so that there’s no ignoring it!)

It’s been about five weeks since I rediscovered my handy notebook, and I can honestly say it’s made a difference. I’m getting things done, checking off projects and feeling more productive in general. And that is a good feeling!

Do you have octopi-like tendencies? Does keeping a written to-do list help you stay on track?


	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Fighting My Octopi-Like Tendencies
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Setting Up a Summer Learning Schedule

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:00:57 GMT

The following post is from Jennifer, a lifelong educator:

See all of the Homework Helps posts here.

I can hear it now…“A schedule?!? But, Mom, it’s summer!” Most kids aren’t overjoyed about doing school work during vacation, but if you set up a routine that works around their anticipated play times, you’ll encourage cooperation and help your children fine tune their academics over the next couple of months.

source: donkeycart

Doing just 30 minutes of math right after breakfast or lunch works for many people; “tying” the work to a regular meal makes it less likely that you’ll forget. You could break that time into two 15 minute slots, but most children are capable of focusing and working for a 30 minute period. You can find lots of math sites on the internet, or education stores and bookstores can supply you with workbooks, if you prefer that approach.

Unless you are or know a teacher, it can be hard to determine what your child should be working on, so here are some suggestions, based on many states’ Common Core Standard:

If your child is going into 1^st grade:

Sort objects into groups

Compare items based on length, weight, and size

Tell time to the nearest hour

Name the days of the week

Write and name numbers to 30

Add and subtract numbers to 10

If your child is going into 2^nd grade:

Count, read, and write numbers to 100

Compare numbers using <, >, or =

Count by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s

Add three one-digit numbers

Name and count coins

Tell time to the hour and half hour (analog and digital)

Read a calendar

Add and subtract numbers up to 20

If your child is going into 3^rd grade:

Count, read, and write numbers to 1,000

Do mental addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers

Show multiplication with pictures, counting, and arrays

Recognize and name fractions of ¼, 1/3, and ½.

Measure to the nearest inch and centimeter

Know how many hours have passed from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Recognize, describe and predict patterns

Identify faces, edges and vertices on geometric shapes

If your child is going into 4^th grade:

Count, read, write, and round numbers to 10,000

Add and subtract whole numbers to 10,000

Know multiplication tables to 10

Add and subtract simple fractions

Add, subtract, multiply and divide money using decimals

Identify, describe and classify common three-dimensional shapes

Tell whether common events are certain, likely, unlikely or impossible

Estimate to determine if an answer is reasonable

If your child is going into 5^th grade:

Read and write number to millions

Order whole numbers and two place decimals

Write a fraction when looking at a divided drawing

Multiply multi-digits by two digit numbers

Divide multi-digits by a one digit number

Determine the area and perimeter of measured shapes

Draw points on a graph (y=3x)

Identify the radius and diameter of a circle

Apply strategies to complex problems

If your child is going into 6^th grade:

Round very large and very small numbers

Determine prime factors of numbers to 50

Order decimals, fractions, and positive and negative numbers

Multiply and divide fractions

Evaluate simple algebraic equations

Compute mean, median and mode

Know when and how to break problems into parts

Identify and graph ordered pairs

Compare data sets with fractions and percentages

This is by no means an exhaustive list. With our nation’s increased emphasis on math, the pressure is on for students to solidify their skills early. Thirty minutes a day, five days a week for 10 weeks gives them twenty-five hours of math practice. I believe it’s time well spent!

What do you do to encourage your children to stay sharp with their skills during the summer?


	Jennifer is passionate about children and education. She homeschooled her two sons for five years, established and directed a Christian school in Maryland for almost 20 years, and currently teaches in a public school in a Chicago suburb. She loves investing in relationships and delights in every moment that she spends with her family.

Setting Up a Summer Learning Schedule
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

More Than a S’more {Easy Oven-Broiled S’mores + 104 S’more Variations!}

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:27:41 GMT

source: Mandi Ehman

I have a slight love affair going on with s’mores. Truly, I think toasted marshmallows (I like mine toasted till they’re almost scorched!) is pretty much perfection all by itself, but I also love the classic combination of toasted marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers!

With the advent of Pinterest, I realized that there are literally hundreds of s’more variations and s’more-flavored recipes out there, and last year I began collecting them on my More Than a S’more board, never guessing that I’d end up with 150+ pins (and counting!).

My favorite way to make a s’more is the simple oven s’more: Lay out your graham crackers, top with a square of chocolate and a marshmallow and slide under the broiler until the marshmallow browns (and gets really puffy!). Top with a second graham cracker and enjoy every sticky bite!

But if you’re looking for another fun way to incorporate s’mores into your next dessert (or breakfast!), be sure to check out this list of ideas. I’ve double checked every link to be sure you can find an actual recipe (something I don’t always do when repinning something on Pinterest), and tried my best to categorize them in a way that makes sense (although deciding where to put some of these made my head spin!).

Personally, the Summery S’more Treats from Shopgirl are at the top of my must-try list. Going to make these for a fun treat next week, I think!

Enjoy!

S’more Variations

S’moreos

Starfish S’mores

Chocolate Graham Cracker Nutella S’mores

Dark Chocolate Banana S’mores

Matzo S’mores

Cookies

S’more Oatmeal Kiss Cookies

Chocolate Chip S’mores

Chocolate Chip Cookie Peanut Butter S’mores

S’more Bites

S’mores Whoopie Pies

S’mores Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Black and White S’mores Cookies

Chocolate Fudge S’mores Thumbprints

Easy S’more Cookies

Campfire Bars

Chocolate Cake S’mores Cookies

Campfire Cookies

Giant S’mores Cookies

Bars

S’mores Macaroon Bars

S’more Rice Krispie Treats

Summery S’more Treats

No Bake Peanut Butter S’mores Bars

No Bake Peanut Butter S’mores Squares

S’mores Icebox Candy Bars

S’mores Cookie Bars

Baked S’mores

Peanut Butter Cup S’mores Bars

Gooey Red Velvet S’mores Bars

White Chocolate S’mores Gooey Cake Bars

Brownies

S’mores Stuffed Brownies

Peanut Butter S’more Blondies

S’mores Brownies

Brownie Cookie S’mores

Pies

Coffee S’mores Pie

Chocolate Ganoche S’mores

S’mores Tart

Mini S’mores Tarts

Mini S’mores Hand Pies

Chocolate S’mores Pie

S’mores Cups

Mini S’mores Pies

Cupcakes

Chocolate S’mores Cupcakes

Toasted Marshmallow S’mores Cupcakes

S’mores Cupcakes with Graham Cracker Crusts

Mini S’mores Cheesecake

Chocolate Ganache S’more Cupcakes

Cakes

S’mores Cake

S’more Icebox Cake

S’mores Cake in a Jar

Ultimate S’more Cake

5 Minute Chocolate Fudge S’mores Mug Cake

Snacks

Sunny’s Crunchy Peanut Butter S’more Bites

Caramel Fudge S’more Nachos

Candy & Treats

On a Stick

Mini S’mores Pops

Giant S’mores Pops

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Pretzel Pops

Breads & Rolls

S’more Panini with Icing

Samoas S’more Rolls

S’mores Bread Pudding

S’mores Braid

S’more Quesadillas

S’mores Monkey Bread

S’mores Dessert Pizza

Dips & Fondue

Ice Cream

Homemade S’mores Ice Cream

Toasted S’more Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream

Ice Cream S’mores

S’mores Cupcake Ice Cream Sandwiches

S’mores Ice Cream Terrine

S’mores Ice Cream Cake

S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches

Frozen Desserts

S’more Smoothies

Frozen S’mores on a Stick

Frozen S’more Parfaits

S’mores Milkshake

Frozen Coconut S’mores

Breakfast(ish)

S’more Stuffed French Toast

S’more Pancakes

Chocolate S’mores Pancakes

S’mores Chocolate Waffles

S’mores Baked Oatmeal

S’mores Granola

Pastries

S’more Scones

Cheesecake S’mores Danish

S’more Donuts

S’mores Muffins

Chocolate S’mores Muffins

Crescent Roll S’mores

Peanut Butter S’mores Turnovers

Are you a fan of the s’more? Which of these recipes do you want to try most?


	Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

More Than a S’more {Easy Oven-Broiled S’mores + 104 S’more Variations!}
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

It’s…a…BOY! {Gender Reveal Photos}

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:01:12 GMT

source: Krystal Griffin

I’ve already let the cat out of the bag here on the blog and on pretty much every social media site, but in case you missed it,yes, we found out that we’re expecting a BOY this fall! Who woulda guessed it?!

After our (very early in the morning) ultrasound, we headed out for breakfast with my little sister and then met Krystal (who is a fellow homeschooling mom from our church as a well as a contributor here at Life Your Way) to let the cat — er, balloon — out of the bag.

During our ultrasound, baby boy was facedown the entire time, so it was hard to get any good shots of his little profile or face, and I was afraid it would be hard to check for gender as well, but thankfully it wasn’t.

I’d asked the tech to write down the gender in a little card for us, but she didn’t tell me to turn away, so I was able to see the little boy parts very clearly. Once we headed to the car, I handed the card to Sean to share the news and we enjoyed having that little secret for a couple of hours.

Instead of telling the girls right away, we packed blue balloons inside gift bags for them to open together. I love this sequence of shots that Krystal captured:

source: Krystal Griffin

After spending days telling us how they would react when they saw the balloons, they all just kind of looked at them for a few seconds while the rest of us hooped and hollered, but the smiles on our big girls’ faces were genuine, and the news has definitely grown on all of us!

source: Krystal Griffin

Krystal had scouted out a few places in the walking mall in Downtown Winchester for our mini session, and we had a lot of fun taking pictures with blue balloons!

source: Krystal Griffin

Since I know someone will ask, we didn’t purposely wear blue; I just happened to like the outfit and Sean chose one to coordinate. But I guess it worked out!

source: Krystal Griffin

We’re big on naming our babies after our ultrasound (all of their names have been chosen on that same day except for Sidney’s), and because we’ve been talking about baby boy names for 9 years, we already had a pretty good start. In the end, we settled on Jackson Jeremiah!

Like our girls’ first names, Jackson is just a name we really like — a name we can picture on a tiny baby boy or a grown man and one that definitely isn’t gender neutral, which was important to me since our girls all have unisex names.

The girls all have biblical traits as their middle names — Joy, Grace, Faith and Hope — and I really wanted Jackson to have a biblical middle name as well. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,’” and the prophet Jeremiah was a man who struggled with the call of God on his life but remained faithful anyway, and so we decided on Jeremiah for his middle name.

And we love nicknames, so we love that this name combination gives us options like Jack, Jax and JJ.

P.S. Just in case your mama never shared this little tip with you, here’s a basic rule on opinions about baby names: If someone asks you if you like the name they’ve chosen, feel free to be honest. Otherwise, please just smile and nod and pretend you like it anyway.

source: Krystal Griffin

In all honesty, I was looking forward to dressing another tiny baby in pink, but choosing Jackson’s name has made this whole “having a baby boy” thing feel so real, in a good way, and I am pretty excited about this new adventure!

source: Krystal Griffin

And I’m so excited to see Sean with his little boy after all these years of raising girls!

source: Krystal Griffin

We took a few more pictures and even though I’m not quite 20 weeks pregnant yet, my belly was big enough that I feel like we finally have professional maternity shots, something we’ve never had done with any of our pregnancies!

source: Krystal Griffin

Tiny baby, big belly!

So now I want to know…what’s your best “boy” advice?!


	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

It’s…a…BOY! {Gender Reveal Photos}
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Support a Local Small Business with GoDaddy’s No WebSitis Contest!

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:15:08 GMT

source: John Loo

As a business owner myself, I love to support women-owned businesses locally and around the world — by buying handmade jewelry from artisans like Lisa Leonard and 31 Bits rather than factory-made accessories, choosing local businesses over big box stores and so on.

According to the 2013 State of Women-Owned Businesses report, the number of women-owned business in the United States is growing at 1.5 times the national average and have added an estimated 175,000 jobs to the economy since 2007.

With blogging friends who are providing income for 3-5 employees and contractors each, I can believe those numbers and that women who pursue their own passions and start a business really are making a difference in the economy!

A local company I love to support is Naturally Yours, a small health store that opened in Winchester a few years ago, perfectly timed with the start of my own natural and green living journey. Because it’s convenient and the owners — a mother-daughter duo — are extremely friendly and helpful, it’s always been my go-to for herbs, supplements, hard to find ingredients and natural bath care products.

They don’t currently have a website, and I can’t help but think that it would be easier for locals to learn more about the store, see samples of their product offerings and get to know the owners if they did!

During GoDaddy’s No WebSitis Contest, nominate your favorite small business to win a free website between now and June 24th. Then, vote for your favorite between 6/25-7/15, and the ten companies that stand out the most will each win a 1-year .COM, .NET or .ORG domain registration and a 1-year Premium Website Builder plan, plus special assistance building their site. Plus you could win a $50 Visa gift card for nominating the winner!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Go Daddy. The opinions and text are all mine.

Support a Local Small Business with GoDaddy’s No WebSitis Contest!
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Weekly Reads + The Worst Book You’ve Ever Read {6/10/13}

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:30:20 GMT

What’s on your summer reading list? I’m so enjoying reading the summer reading guides from people like Anne and Tsh, whose book recommendations I always appreciate! I, however, am currently on a book buying hiatus as I make my way (sloooooooowly) through the ones already on my Kindle. With weeks when I’m not reading any books at all (ahem, like last week!), I just can’t justify buying anymore until I make it through that virtual pile, no matter how highly they’re recommended.

Head here to see Katie’s post for this week. We also want to know what you’re reading! Add your blog post to the linky below or leave a comment with your favorite reads from this week.

With the Girls

Dylan is rereading A New Home for Lily, this time on her own, which she’s enjoying. She’s still at the point in her reading development where she switches between chapter books regularly because she’s not a fast enough reader for a single book to hold her attention over the course of a week or two, so she has set aside her Little House books for now.

Peyton, on the other hand, has gotten to the point where she can finish a decent-size chapter book in a day or two, so she’s much more likely to finish a book before moving on to the next. Last week’s top choice was Tales of Robin Hood by Tony Allan, which led to recreating lots of adventures outside on the playground!

This week, she’s finishing Justin Morgan Had a Horse (which she did start last week), and she’s packed a bag full of 8-10 books that she wants to read next.

A Question for You

I really, really disliked Maze Runner, which I read at the beginning of this year. I couldn’t put it down because I needed to figure out what was going on and get to the end, but I really hated it. Most of the time, however, I’m getting better about putting a book down before it reaches that point (which may result in missed opportunities!), so I can’t think of too many others I’ve disliked to that degree!

What was the worst book you ever read? Did you finish it? What did you dislike about it?

Share Your Reading List

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	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Weekly Reads + The Worst Book You’ve Ever Read {6/10/13}
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Inexpensive Ways to Add Outdoor Lighting

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:00:53 GMT

The following post is from Lisa of The Pennington Point:

source: The Pennington Point

It can get expensive to buy lights that are made for outdoors. But with some creativity and resourcefulness, you can light up your evenings in style for very little money.

If you have a porch area where you can sit and relax, then soft lighting can enhance those lovely summer nights. On my front porch, I used Christmas lights with white cords along the edge of the ceiling to give it that soft candlelight glow.

source: The Pennington Point

In the front of my house, I have an outdoor eating area. To light it up at night without stark task lighting, I strung inexpensive bulb lights along rope that is attached at each end to eye screws.

source: The Pennington Point

A classic outdoor lighting ideas is wrapping your trees in strings of lights. It’s not just for Christmas!

source: Apron Revival

This solar light idea is genius! I never knew you could make you own!

source: The Shabby Creek Cottage

And while we’re talking solar, how about one on a stake down in cement? You could put these anywhere!

We could, of course, go even simpler. And nothing says simply life like a mason jar. Battery operated candles or real tea lights both look great down in them.

source: Shop 24

Another simple idea is to take used food cans and make them into lamps. So simple, so cute.

source: Grow Creative

Do you have a place that could use some outdoor lighting?


	Lisa winds through her little Texas farm house every night, tucking in her nine homeschooled children and turning off lights. Then she scans the rooms & makes a mental list of what she wants to rearrange, restore or paint. Her husband of 27 years hangs on for the ride while she blogs about it over at The Pennington Point.

Inexpensive Ways to Add Outdoor Lighting
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

5 Paleo/Primal eBooks for Less Than the Price of 1! {BundleoftheWeek.com}

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:01:38 GMT

This week’s bundle is the perfect companion for a paleo or primal lifestyle! Whether you’re just dipping your toes in or looking for more recipes to add to your rotation, this collection of ebooks is both inspiring and practical, with more than 200 recipes plus inspirational stories from people who have transformed their health through a paleo diet and tips for eating out without cheating.

Paleo ebooks can be expensive, but this week only you’ll get all 5 at a savings of more than 85% off, less than the cost of any one of the ebooks by itself!

With your purchase, you’ll get all five of the following ebooks:

The Paleo Miracle by Joe Salama and Christina Lianos
The Paleo Snack Recipe Book by Suzanne Crawt
Eating Out and Traveling on the Paleo Diet by Aglaée Jacobs
Toadally Primal Smoothies by Primal Toad
Paleo Ice Cream by Ben Hirshberg

Get yours today!

Even if you’re not interested in this week’s bundle, be sure to sign up for the BundleoftheWeek.com weekly newsletter so you can be the first to know about the latest bundle:

5 Paleo/Primal eBooks for Less Than the Price of 1! {BundleoftheWeek.com}
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Giveaway: Set of 3 Channellock Pliers for Father’s Day

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 16:30:18 GMT

This giveaway is now closed! The winner is Susan (tsgsusans@…)!

Channellock is truly a family business, run by generations of the DeArment family in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where they manufacturer more than 120 high-quality pliers and assorted hand tools, like these:

E326 XLT Long Nose Pliers

Xtreme High Leverage technology means considerably less force required to cut.
Longer, streamlined design for precision handling.
Crosshatched jaws for maximum grip.
Knife and anvil cutting edges ensure proper cutting alignment.

E336 XLT Diagonal Cutting Pliers

Xtreme High Leverage technology means considerably less force required to cut.
Strong lap joint construction.
Durable, diagonal cutting edge design that easily cuts hard and soft wire.
Knife and anvil cutting edges ensure proper cutting alignment.

440 Straight Jaw Pliers

Patented reinforcing edge minimizes stress breakage
Undercut tongue & groove design won’t slip
Right-angle, laser-heat treated teeth grip better and last longer
PermaLock fastener eliminates nut and bolt failure

Each tool is made from high-carbon C1080 steel for durability, with laser-heat treated edges and Channellock Blue grips for comfort.

We received a set of these pliers to review, and my husband, who has a mishmash of tools that have been handed down to him, was excited to add these to the Channellock tool roll he already has and expand his Channellock collection!

Like Channellock on Facebook or follow @Channellock on Twitter or Channellock on Pinterest for gift ideas, giveaways, news, tips and more!

Enter to Win

This week, Channellock is giving one lucky Life Your Way reader a set of Channellock pliers as described above!

To enter, fill out the form below (if you’re reading this by email, click here to enter):

This giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on 6/12. The winner will be selected randomly and notified by email, and this post will be updated with their name as well. Open to U.S. residents 18 years old and above.

Giveaway: Set of 3 Channellock Pliers for Father’s Day
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Weekend Reading: June 8, 2013

Mandi — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 12:01:03 +0000

source: Krystal Griffin Photography

Yep…blue balloons!

On Tuesday we had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound, and we were thrilled to discover that Baby Ehman is a boy! Okay, shocked and terrified might have crossed our minds too. What do we do with a baby boy?! This all new territory for us, so we’ll definitely be learning as we go.

Afterward we met Krystal Griffin, a Life Your Way contributor and friend, for a gender reveal photo shoot with the girls, and I can’t wait to share the story and some more pictures with you (watch for those early next week!).

We’re definitely enjoying knowing a little more about our newest addition, and it’s fun to think of the baby as “he” instead of “it”! It also turns out that having the first boy grandchild is as big a deal as having the first grandchild was, and our collection of blue clothing is growing quickly!

Here are some of my favorite posts from this week. As always, check out what I’m reading to see the other posts that make me stop and think. You’ll find new posts all week long!

Family {Summer of Learning}

Practical Ideas for a Summer of Learning | Simple Homeschool

Introducing: Se7en+1′s Drawing a Day Project… | se7en

56 Things to do on Rainy Days with Kids | Finding Joy

Life {Be Intentional}

Don’t Chase Happiness. Recognize It. | Becoming Minimalist

How I Finally Faced My Weight & Debt Problems | Zen Habits

Food {Summer Bounty}

10 Ultimate Summer Popsicle Recipes! | Weed ‘em and Reap

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp | The Finer Things in Life

Asian Salad Wonton Cups | Good {Life} Eats

And because it never hurts to share this again, be sure to read this post before your next to the beach or pool: Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning. And our story of experiencing this last year, exactly as he described: What Drowning Really Looks Like.

Have a great weekend!

	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Weekend Reading: June 8, 2013
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

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Comments

Thanks so much, Heather — I love hearing stories like this! ... by Mandi @ Life Your Way
Thanks for sharing in our excitement! by Mandi @ Life Your Way
So exciting! I was hoping you we're going to blog about it . by Miranda @ A ThankFULL Heart
Congratulations! We have 3 beautiful girls, so I was also ... by Heather

Homeschool Curriculum Sale {First Come, First Serve}

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 18:26:08 GMT

We’re in homeschool planning mode around here, and I’ve shared my 2013-2014 curriculum plans as well as why we school year-round. I still have a few more things to share with you in the coming weeks, but I also have a few things to sell!

All of the following curriculum is in like-new condition. We either decided not to use the consumable workbooks or switched curriculum before using it.

If you’re interested in any of these items, please fill out the form at the bottom of the post. I will contact interested buyers on a first come, first serve basis and send Paypal invoices for claimed items (you don’t have to have a Paypal account to pay with Paypal, though!). I will also update this post as items are claimed. {All prices below include media mail shipping.}

~~BOB Books {Set 3, Set 4 & Set 5}, $30~~ {sold}

Singapore Primary Mathematics 2A Workbook, Textbook & Home Instructor’s Guide, $28 {pending sale}
**Does not include gram cubes

Singapore Primary Mathematics 2B Workbook, Textbook & Home Instructor’s Guide, $28 {pending sale}
**Does not include gram cubes

Singapore Mathematics 2B Workbook, $7 {pending sale}
**Does not include Textbook or Home Instructor’s Guide

The Logic of English Essentials Manuscript Workbook, $18
**Workbook only, does not include Teacher’s Manual

Teaching Textbooks 3 Workbook & Answer Key, $18
**Does not include Level 3 CDs

Thanks to Joy at FiveJs.com for the post idea. Check out her curriculum and book sale here.

Homeschool Curriculum Sale {First Come, First Serve}
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

How I Blog {My Interview at HowTheyBlog.com}

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:01:44 GMT

A few months ago, Kat emailed me to see if I’d be willing to submit an interview for her brand new site, HowTheyBlog.com, a behind the scenes look at the lives of popular bloggers. I’m not quite sure how I made it onto her list with people like Tsh Oxenreider and Emily Freeman, but it was an honor to be included, so of course I said yes!

My interview is up this week in three parts, and we’re talking about how I blog, my gadget and app recommendations and my thoughts on social media and writing.

Kat referred to my interviews as “thorough”, which I think may be a polite word for wordy, so grab a cup of coffee and c’mon over! (I’m checking the comments too, so if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask over there!)

How *I* Blog {My Interview at HowTheyBlog.com}
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

5 Benefits of Homeschooling Through the Summer

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:30:50 GMT

source: Mandi Ehman

We really found our homeschooling groove this year, and while I’ve felt like we had to keep going through the summer in year’s past, this year I actually feel more like we get to. Yep, for real!

The truth is that while most of our friends are winding down and counting the days they have left, we’re all feeling pretty excited and energized about school right now, so I thought I’d share a little bit more about what that looks like and why it works for us.

First, to define what homeschooling year-round means for us, this year we’ll be doing everything from our 2013-2014 curriculum plans except Classical Conversations memory work, history and science. The big girls have actually started on this geography book (which is a fun way to teach the grammar and mechanics of maps, etc.), and we’ll be adding Latin next month as well. We’ll also be testing out a few ideas for history and science to get us ready for the fall. So almost a full schedule.

source: Mandi Ehman

In general, I look at our year as broken into trimesters (lopsided trimesters, but three parts nonetheless): early fall-Christmas, January-May and June-August. We often make changes to our curriculum around those trimester breaks — although I’ll share more about adjusting along the way later — and spreading our breaks out keeps me from getting burnt out during the year!

Here are the 5 main benefits of homeschooling through the summer for our family:

1. We can take off throughout the year.

This is probably the most obvious benefit and also the reason we started schooling through the summer in the first place! We usually take off completely for 3 weeks or so at Christmas plus another 3-4 weeks in late spring for vacation.

Although our new focus on independent learning has added a lot of consistency to our routine (because they’re not dependent on mom for most of their subjects), we also took off this past year when a family in our CC group was hit by tragedy, when I was laid out on the couch with the worst of my morning sickness and for almost a month around our recent trip to Florida. And while it happens less now, there are still days or weeks when I have a work deadline looming and we decide to take a break from school altogether.

Doing that is no longer stressful or guilt-inducing to me, though, because I know we’ll make up all of that time over the summer!

source: Mandi Ehman

2. The girls don’t get as bored.

On days without any structure, our girls tend to be whiny and lazy, and while I’m a fan of boredom during childhood, I think there is a delicate balance between healthy boredom that inspires creativity and debilitating boredom that results in whiny, lethargic children (at least there is for my children!). Doing school in the morning gives us some basic structure to our day so that the girls are more likely to use their free time for imaginative play.

3. There’s no pressure for big starts or endings.

With a traditional school-year calendar, the beginning of the school year is a big deal (everything is new!) and the end of the school year is a big deal (we need to finish strong!).

For us, however, the “first day of school” is an arbitrary date when we actually do very little school and instead make a special breakfast, take pictures and have ice cream sundaes for dinner, and there just isn’t a last day at all. That means I’m not cramming to get things done at the end or feeling pressured to have all of my curriculum choices together by the first day of the next year.

Which brings me to my next point:

4. It’s easy to adjust as we go.

Because there is no beginning or end to our year, we adjust parts of our curriculum and schedule as we need to rather than feeling like we just need to hold on until the next year. This year I really learned to embrace this aspect of schooling, and it gave us the freedom to experiment and try new things without worrying about whether it was the “right” time to adjust (a pretty big accomplishment for a type-A, perfectionist mama!).

source: Mandi Ehman

5. There’s no need to review or adjust in the fall.

And finally, we don’t spend the first week (or three!) reviewing math and language arts material from the previous year or trying to readjust to the rhythm of our homeschool day, and we’re not hanging on by a thread during the last few weeks either. I think that gives us more flexibility to take time off throughout the year (WV doesn’t have a mandatory number of days that we need to “do school”) because we can cover more material in less time.

Homeschooling year-round is obviously not for everyone, and I can think of plenty of reasons why it might not work for other families – families that travel more during the summer or participate in extended camps or summer sports or whatever. But for us, it’s been the perfect compliment to our lifestyle and schedule!

What does your homeschooling calendar look like? Have you ever done school through the summer?


	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

5 Apps That Will Make Your Summer Vacations Rock

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:00:06 GMT

The following post is from Lauren Rothlisberger of Get Me Geeky:

source: Mandi Ehman

It’s that time of year. Summer vacations are about to start. Whether you have a big trip planned or a more low-key family “stay-cation” in the works, there are hundreds apps that help make a vacation more fun.

Take a look at five of my favorites.

1. Passbook

What the heck is passbook? Passbook is Apple’s wallet for your iPhone. Within Passbook you can store boarding passes, tickets, store cards (think Target) or coupons. Once you are in Passbook you determine which cards/information you want to link to your Passbook. You will need to go into the App Store to load the apps from the different airlines, stores or ticket providers.

Not only does this help keep track of travel information, a lot of the store cards you can add offer discount found only on your iPhone.

2. WeatherBug

Alright this may seem a little obvious, but be sure to download one of the more high-end weather apps. Not only do you want the forecast, but an app with radar information is really useful when you are sitting on the beach or driving long distances. Mostly it saves you from getting poured on at the beach or stuck driving through a terrible storm!

3. iMovie for iPhone

Vacation is full of lots of memories, hopefully some of which you are able to capture on video. iMovie for iPhone allows you to easy compile your photos and videos into a fun little compilation video. You simply choose the media (your video clips) you want to use, clip the portion you want, add title, transitions and music. Put it all together and you get a professional looking video. Bonus that it is easy to send to family and friends, or upload to a social media site. (Mashable has a good tutorial here.)

This is an easy and fun way to put all the good times in one spot so you can revisit them over and over again!

4. Coppertone

Depending on time of year, or what part of the country you are vacationing it may be hard to tell when you need sunscreen. Those UV rays can still get you on a cloudy day. Keep the Coppertone app handy to check on the UV index. It uses GPS to determine your location and gets you up-to-date information.

Why does this make your vacation rock? Have you ever had a bad sunburn on a trip? There is nothing fun about spending your time in an aloe bath instead of enjoying a cold beverage and a good book.

Editor’s note: I love the sound of this app, but be sure to read my thoughts about sunscreen and skin cancer before you buy one of the conventional brands to protect you from sunburn!

5. AirBnb

AirBnb is like a cross between a hotel and a bed and breakfast. It is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world. Airbnb is an opportunity for your family to book a whole house without having to stay for a week like a normal vacation rental. It is also a great way to stay in local neighborhoods instead of the touristy parts of town. There is a great iPhone app or checkout Airbnb.com!

A good trip has a lot to do with your initial landing spot, and there is nothing worse than seeing your hard-earned money go into a place that wasn’t quite what you imagined. With Airbnb you can browse all the reviews of past vacationers before making your decision.

What apps do you recommend for summer vacation?


	Lauren Rothlisberger blogs and consults over at Get Me Geeky. As a military wife, mom of three girls and one new baby boy, she loves focusing on technology and productivity and finding new ways to simplify her life. She recently started putting together MacMinis, which are easy to follow videos for Mac users, and also wrote an ebook, Evernote for Moms.

Get Ready Faster with Vaseline Spray and Go Moisturizer!

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 12:00:37 GMT

source: PhotoAtelier

I’ve never been one of those girls who enjoys primping in front of the mirror, even before I had a family. Now, as a busy mama, I’d much rather spend my extra minutes in a hot shower — where it’s quiet and I can actually think — than getting ready after my shower!

Truthfully, that’s why I chopped all my hair off and embraced my curls again — it now takes me less than 10 minutes to fix my hair plus another 5 to apply powder, blush and mascara and I’m ready to go.

Unfortunately, one thing I can’t skip is my daily moisturizing. The moment I step out of the shower, I begin to develop lizard scales (probably because of the aforementioned hot shower, but I’m not giving up that luxury!), and lotion or coconut oil is usually my first step after I dry off.

If only it didn’t take so long to apply and rub in, right?

The new Vaseline Spray and Go Moisturizer is the perfect solution for busy mamas. Just spray it on, give it a quick rub and you’re on your way. It’s not sticky, so you can pull on your skinny jeans right away (well, hopefully you can — my skinny jeans aren’t going to fit again for many, many months!)

Just watch this video to see it in action for yourself:

The key, I’ve found, is to spray it close to the skin so you’re only coating your skin in lotion and not your entire bathroom. Then give it a quick rub and you’re ready to get dressed.

It smells good, is quick and easy to apply and leaves my skin feeling decidedly non-lizard like — my kind of product!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Vaseline. The opinions and text are all mine.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Vaseline.  The opinions and text are all mine.

The Most Important Lesson We Learned During Screen-Free Week

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:57:39 GMT

source: Sarah Reid

During our trip to Florida last month, it became very obvious that our kids were overly reliant on TV and electronics for their entertainment. While they would happily swim in the pool for an hour or two at a time, in between there was a constant refrain of, “Can I play on Nona’s iPad? Can I watch TV?”

Thankfully, when we got back to “normal”, they quickly readjusted to playing and exploring outside, but our screen time was still out of hand, with complaints of “It’s too hot!” and “What can I do?” popping up throughout the day.

We decided to schedule a Screen-Free Week of our own (inspired by the posts I’d seen during the official Screen-Free Week in May), and we gave the girls a few days’ notice and then set a few simple rules: no TV, no computer games (the big girls did still do Teaching Textbooks for math) and no mobile devices (except for audiobooks and music, which don’t really require the “screen” anyway).

We started last Monday, and the thing that surprised me from the first day — and honestly surprises me every time we do a screen-free week — is that they never, not once, asked for screen time. There was no whining, no begging to use my phone, no complaining. Not even when we met some friends at the park last week and they were taking turns playing an iPhone game!

It’s often said that boundaries provide freedom for children, and I think that is exactly what happened for us. Because they knew the electronics were not an option, they simply didn’t think about them; instead pouring their energy into exploring and creating. There were very few times when someone complained of being bored, and they rushed outside each day without question. Honestly, it was awesome!

source: Mandi Ehman

While I was tempted to declare our home screen-free permanently after seeing how much of a difference it made in their play, I decided not to because 1) I’m not a fan of extremes in general, preferring moderation instead, and 2) my TV-loving husband would never agree to get rid of our satellite service.

What I realized, though, was that we needed better boundaries on a daily basis so that the girls didn’t have to spend their time wondering when they’d be allowed to watch TV or jockeying for a chance to play on a specific device.

With that in mind, we decided on these very restrictive rules:

30 minutes of TV before bed (after 7 p.m.)
We’ve found that the earlier they watch TV during the day, the more it affects the rest of their day, so before bed seemed like the most logical choice for our family! The girls enjoy watching the same shows together, which is good because our TV is in the main living area of our home, so there’s really no way to give them individual TV time anyway.

20 minutes of game time on a computer or device
On the other hand, computer time is something they can do individually, so they each have 20 minutes to play per day. We were going to do tokens that they could redeem for their turn, but we’ve found that it’s been simple enough to keep track of who has or hasn’t played each day, so there’s no reason to complicate it with something else to keep track of!

Surprisingly, the girls didn’t complain about the new rules either. They were happy to have some screen time back in their life, and I think they were relieved to no longer have to ask a million times during the day! Another surprising benefit for me is that when someone asks me if they can use their 20 minutes for the day — whether it’s first thing in the morning in the middle of the day — I’m no longer hesitant to say yes because the rule keeps that time in check without me having to monitor it!

I’m not naive enough to think that we’ll never have screen-time issues again, and we’re contemplating adding extra screen time to rainy days, but making the connection between boundaries and freedom in this area has been a huge eye-opener for me. And now I’m wondering how else I can apply it as a parent!

Have you done a screen-free week? What screen-time rules do you follow in your home?


	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Arbol de Asada Deviled Eggs: Picnic Food

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:00:33 GMT

The following post is from Shaina of Food for My Family and Olmanson Photography:

source: Shaina Olmanson | FoodforMyFamily.com

I planted my garden, finally, yet I am not done. With snow creeping into May this year planting was a bit later than usual, but we’ve also been adding new raised beds to house my ever-growing list of plants I simply must have steps from my back door. The list for this spring included all the necessary arbol chilies and tomatillos needed to make arbol de asada.

A month ago we hit up one of the local Latin American market. After perusing the shelves filled with brightly colored packaging, a bakery lined with conchas, tres leches, flan, elotes, and more, we wandered to the cold case where a rainbow of salsas from yellow to deep red waited for us. Then we tasted them all, from salsa de aguacate (avocado) to arbol de asada.

Arbol de asada is made with smoked arbol chilies and tomatillos, those paper-husked green tomato-like orbs that you can find at the supermarket. It’s a spicy salsa, one for garnishing meats, drizzling on quesadillas, or if you’re me, dipping every last chip into and letting the heat hit you in the back of the throat as often as possible. So, I added it to deviled eggs, which only seemed appropriate given the heat in the salsa.

If you don’t have salsa de arbol de asada, any roasted and thick salsa or hot sauce will do. Simply adjust the amount to your heat preferences and enjoy a spicy twist on deviled eggs for your next summer picnic or backyard barbecue.

Arbol de Asada Deviled Eggs: Picnic Food

Author: Shaina Olmanson | FoodforMyFamily.com

Recipe type: appetizer

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons roasted salsa or hot sauce (I used salsa de arbol de asada)
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro for garnish, optional

Instructions

Remove all the yolks from the halved eggs and place in a bowl.
Mash until smooth, and then stir in the sour cream, 1 tablespoon of salsa, and lime juice. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste.
Using a piping bag or a small spoon, fill each hard-boiled egg white with the yolk mixture.
Garnish with remaining salsa and fresh cilantro leaves. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

How do you prepare deviled eggs?


	Shaina Olmanson is the home cook and photographer behind Food for My Family and the author of Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats that Shine. She is a contributor to Babble.com’s Family Kitchen Blog and the food channel on Lifetime Moms. Shaina can usually be found cooking, at the computer or behind the camera.

EWG’s 2013 Guide to Safer Sunscreens and Sun Safety

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:30:43 GMT

In addition to the annual Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen produce guide, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) also issues an annual sunscreen guide, and this year’s updated guide is now available!

While the importance of sunscreen is stressed every day and from a variety of sources, there are also underlying dangers in some of the most popular products on the market. In fact, evidence shows that some sunscreens — especially those with Vitamin A (which is many of them!) can actually contribute to skin cancer — and many leave you exposed to cancer-causing UVA rays while protecting your skin from the UVB rays that cause sunburn.

This is something I feel pretty passionate about — both the importance of sun exposure for our bodies and the danger of conventional sunscreens, and you can read more about our family’s research and approach to sunscreen here. Then, head to EWG.com for their top sunscreen recommendations (and a ton of information about current research!).

How does your family approach sun safety?


	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

How to Be Rich (Without a Lot of Money or Stuff)

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:00:35 GMT

The following post is from Rachel of The Minimalist Mom:

source: thejbird

There are two ways to be rich:
One is by acquiring much,
and the other is by desiring little.
~Jackie French Koller

I am very wealthy. Rich in fact.

Of course, we’re not able to retire early.

We have a lot of years left on our mortgage.

We don’t own a car. I ride the bus. We do a lot of walking.

My wardrobe is small, and the labels are not designer.

Our home is simply furnished and relatively small. The decor is kid friendly and welcoming.

I track every penny we spend. Our budget is debated and examined often by me and my husband.

Our oldest son has a small collection of toys many of which were bought second hand.

Our new baby plays with plastic cups and chews on well worn receiving blankets.

They are both clothed in a mix of hand-me-downs, second hand purchases and gifts from their Grandmas.

The ways in which I am rich cannot be measured in dollars or things:

I have my health.

I am a well person.

I can run a few miles and walk many more.

I can lift heavy things, including my sons, without too much trouble.

My marriage is a happy and content one that I continue to grow in and work on.

At the age of 35 I am still learning new things.

More importantly, I still want to learn new things. How to windsurf, play the guitar, improve my French, crack an egg one handed without breaking the yolk (I am so close).

I have choice.

I am not trapped in my life or by the decisions I have made in the past.

Three years ago I changed careers. There were, and still are, scary moments in pursuing this new path.

But the ability to make this choice, to leap before the net has appeared, fills me with abundance.

I have time.

The greatest of luxuries, the most sought after commodity in this busy world.

Time to listen to my children’s stories, one told in giggles, squeals and smiles and the other as a creative re-imagining of a book we have a read dozens of times.

Time to get back in the Crossfit gym after a two year hiatus, taking a few hours a week just for myself to push my body and learn something new.

Time to take the slow route, to watch the tide come in, to make a week day meal extra special, to talk to one of my sisters for over an hour and have conversations like we live next door to each other instead of thousands of miles away.

I feel rich not when I look at my bank account, but when I look at my life.

What makes you feel rich?


		Rachel Jonat is a former world medalist rower turned marketing professional turned SAHM/writer. At The Minimalist Mom, Rachel writes about living a rich life with less stuff. Currently living on a windswept island in the middle of the Irish Sea, Rachel owns two pairs of jeans, lives without a car and is attempting to become a tea drinker.

Look for Children’s Miracle Network Tissue Box Designs at Walmart!

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 11:01:08 GMT

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of White Cloud for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

A few months ago I told you about White Cloud and their partnership with Children’s Miracle Network, a charity that holds a special place in our hearts after a scare with our third daughter when she was just a toddler.

During the contest, White Cloud asked kids from member hospitals to put their creativity and imaginations to work to illustrate a template for a new White Cloud Facial Tissue box design! The designs were collected and narrowed down to the top 10 finalists, and then fans voted for their favorite designs.

Well, the top 3 designs have been chosen and printed on special edition White Cloud Facial Tissue boxes that are now available for a limited time, exclusively in Walmart stores. Visit the White Cloud Store Locator to find a store near you!

In addition, White Cloud will be donating $15,000 to each of the winner’s hospitals!

Learn more about White Cloud, their green products and their commitment to giving via their social media channels:

In addition, be sure to watch for a $0.75 off coupon in the July 2013 edition of All You Magazine to save more off their already affordable line of products!

Weekly Reads + Your Favorite Children’s Books {6/3/13}

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:43:55 GMT

We took last week off from the Weekly Reads post because of the holiday, but I’m glad to be back and sharing my weekly reads with you! I’m still reading fewer books than at the beginning of the year, but happy to be back in some kind of rhythm. As I mentioned in my homeschool curriculum post last week, we’re also reprioritizing read-aloud time, and I’ve really been enjoying that time with the girls, so I’m sharing the books we’re reading together as well!

Head here to see Katie’s post for this week. We also want to know what you’re reading! Add your blog post to the linky below or leave a comment with your favorite reads from this week.

This Week’s Reads

UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging. by Scott Stratten
I love Scott Stratten’s commonsense, no nonsense style, and I enjoyed reading his first book, Unmarketing, as much the second time through as I did the first time! Not only is it funny and full of anecdotes, but Scott’s approach to business — always putting relationships with customers first — just makes sense to me, and I found myself reenergized to do just that after reading it through again.

{Read my full review from the first time I read it here.}

Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin
I didn’t intentionally pick this book up to reread it, but I realized a couple chapters in that I had read it at some point…oops. That said, I enjoyed the writing and story — about a girl who finds herself torn between her southern family and upbringing and her abolitionist beliefs during the Civil War — so much that I kept on reading anyway. I’d highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys historical southern fiction!

Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame (The Enchanted Attic) by L.L. Samson
I’m actually prereading this one for our oldest since I was unfamiliar with the author or the series, and it’s really a fun book. Written from a narrator’s point of view, it includes parenthetical definitions for some of the larger words as well as italicized insights into the writing process and making of a good story, which I think she’ll enjoy as much as the story itself.

The only thing I dislike so far is that the main characters — twins named Ophelia and Linus — are both 14, and so there is more “noticing the opposite sex” than I would necessarily like, but none of it is inappropriate or more than they see in a typical Disney show.

I love that there is a whole series of these exploring the classics, and I’m looking forward to adding them all to our collection!

With the Girls

The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook
This is such a cute story, and when I committed to rereading some of our favorites to our two little girls, I knew this one had to be at the top. Set in the early 20th century, each chapter tells of an adventure that Milly-Molly-Mandy (full name: Millicent Margaret Amanda) takes with her friends and family. It is charming and quaint, and the girls ask me to read a chapter or two every night!

The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature
We’ve also been reading the Berenstain’s Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature, a fun rhyming story that includes a seasonal almanac as well as facts about animals, plants and more. This holds everybody’s attention (even our busy three-year-old’s), and the pictures are a lot of fun as well!

The Usborne Flip-Flap Body Book
I pulled this one out this week specifically to read the section about baby’s to our three-year-old. With factual information presented through colorful illustrations and flaps to open on every page, it’s really the perfect introduction to the way the human body works for little ones!

And our big girls have been making their way through a few books on their own. Our 7-year-old is getting more fluent every day, but she’s still a pretty slow reader who takes a few weeks to get through a full-length chapter book (although her enthusiasm more than makes up for the lack of speed!), while our 8-year-old has reached the “fly through a chapter book instead of playing” stage, which I love:

Peyton (8):

A Little Princess
Justin Morgan Had a Horse

Dylan (7):

Little Town on the Prairie
By the Shores of Silver Lake

A Question for You

When I was little, I absolutely loved Memily, one of the books from the Serendipity series. Now, however, my favorite children’s books are anything by Robert McCloskey, whose illustrations are just as charming as the stories themselves.

What are your favorite children’s books? Have you loved them since childhood or have they become new favorites in your adult years?

Share Your Reading List


	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Healthy Banana-Cranberry Muffins

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:01:22 GMT

source: Mandi Ehman

The girls and I are having fun discovering new muffin recipes each Saturday morning as we kick off our weekend, and these banana-cranberry muffins are definitely among our favorites:

Our breakfasts during the week tend to consist of simple options like oatmeal, granola, scrambled eggs or toast with fruit on the side, but lately we’ve found ourselves in the happy routine of trying a new muffin recipe each Saturday and serving our very favorite bacon & egg casserole on Sunday mornings.

When I found myself with an abundance of overripe bananas last weekend, I started hunting for a new banana muffin recipe and stumbled across one that called for bananas (check!) and cranberries (double check!).

Click here to get the recipe at Easy Homemade.

Get 5 Homesteading Skills eBooks for Just $7.40 {BundleoftheWeek.com}

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:01:02 GMT

Whether your goal is to save money, be self-sufficient, live a more sustainable lifestyle or all three, this week’s homesteading bundle includes everything from real food storage and emergency preparation to repurposing old clothes and rediscovering the lost skills of past generations. Get all 5 ebooks at a savings of more than 85% off this week only!

Hurry, though, because this bundle is available at more than 85% off this week only!

With your purchase, you’ll get all five of the following ebooks:

Pioneering Today by Melissa K. Norris
Your Custom Homestead by Jill Winger
Real Food Storage: How-To and Recipes by KerryAnn Foster
Reuse, Refresh, Repurpose by The Frugal Girl
Getting Prepared by Robin Egerton and Angela England

Get yours today!

Even if you’re not interested in this week’s bundle, be sure to sign up for the BundleoftheWeek.com weekly newsletter so you can be the first to know about the latest bundle:

Giveaway: Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad or iPad Mini

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 16:30:19 GMT

This giveaway is now closed! The winner is Jessica (marc1615@…)!

While the modern love triangle – you, your significant other and your tablet – can become a reality in any home, technology can also be used to strengthen relationships, like this adorable remarriage proposal that Logitech helped orchestrate and capture:

Logitech wants to inspire people to use their technology for good, through products that simplify your life and make you more productive, like the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad or iPad Mini.

It’s the sleek and seamless companion for your tablet that not only serves as wireless keyboard but also as a superthin protective cover.

The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover:

fully protects the touch screen on your iPad
includes a Bluetooth wireless keyboard to help you type with quiet precision
frees up screen space on your iPad
lets you work faster thanks to shortcut keys for commands like copy, paste, undo and more
has up to 6 months of battery life on a full charge
automatically wakes your iPad when you open the cover—and puts it to sleep when you close it

Enter to Win

This week, Logitech is giving one lucky Life Your Way reader an Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for their iPad or iPad Mini!

To enter, fill out the form below:

This giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on 6/7. The winner will be selected randomly and notified by email, and this post will be updated with their name as well. Open to U.S. residents 18 years old and above. Logitech provided an Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for our team in exchange for this post, but all opinions are 100% mine.

Weekend Reading: June 1, 2013

Mandi — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 12:01:25 +0000

source: mandiehman on Instagram

We headed to the park on Thursday for our first summer park day with our CC campus, and of course it was the hottest day of the week, breaking 90 degrees. But our favorite part of this particular park is actually not the playground itself but a large cluster of trees where the girls like to build forts, forage and hang out, and it was much cooler in there, so they were happy!

This weekend, we’re mostly counting down the days until our ultrasound on Tuesday, since we’re all so anxious to find out whether Baby Ehman is a boy or a girl!

Here are some of my favorite posts from this week. As always, check out what I’m reading to see the other posts that make me stop and think. You’ll find new posts all week long!

Family {Summer, Summer, Summertime}

7 Ways Not to Let the Summer Slip By | The Happiest Home

Your Definitive Summer Slow Down Guide | Be More with Less

95 Things to do with Kids Under Five | Finding Joy

Motherhood {Encouragement When You’re Weary}

When Strong Mamas Feel Quite Weak | A Holy Experience

“30 Days to Yelling Less Project” Round 3! | The Orange Rhino Challenge

Work {Sometimes It’s Just About Working Hard}

Your Blog: Uncovering the Secret to a Successful Business | Savvy Blogging

A Hierarchy of Failure (From Brave to Shameful) | Seth’s Blog

My Grandfather Had It Right All Along. When Work Brings Joy. | Finding Joy

This didn’t fit in any of this week’s categories, but in the face of growing controversy around international adoption ethics, Jen Hatmaker wrote a series of posts, and this one — about orphan care outside of adoption — is so, so important!

Have a great weekend!

	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

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Comments

By: Onto Day 3…[recap of Day 1 and 2] | Grace by 8 by Onto Day 3…[recap of Day 1 and 2] | Grace by 8
Haha — that's great! by Mandi @ Life Your Way
Thanks so much, Catherine! Honestly, it is my favorite post of ... by Mandi @ Life Your Way
I love your weekend reading links. I often read them all and ... by Catherine

Join Us for the June Photo Hunt {For the Whole Family!}

Fri, 31 May 2013 16:30:56 GMT

The following post is from Krystal of Krystal Griffin Photography:

Ah! Summer is finally here! Here in the mid-Atlantic it seemed like it would never come.

My family and I are starting some fun and creative projects that will last throughout the summer, one of which is the list you see here (available in the image above or in printable form here). Think of this list as a photo scavenger hunt or bucket list. There is one item for each day, though they can be done in any order and you aren’t limited to a “one a day” rule. You have great flexibility in where to find these items. Be creative and just have fun with it.

And each month through the summer (June, July and August) we’ll bring you a new one!

Our family is going to be working on these lists together, so feel free to pursue this however it works for you. You might work on it yourself or give it to a child/group of children to work on. It’s accessible for anyone and open to your own interpretation. The printable includes two hunt lists per page, so you can share one with a friend or keep the extra in the car for while you are out.

Click here to download or print the June Photo Hunt list {or right click the image above and select Save As… to save it to your computer!}.

As for what we’re going to do with all the photos we collect, I’m working on some ideas for how we will display them when we’re done. We’ve talked about a small printed album, a Flickr set or a Facebook album, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with as well!

Will you be participating in the hunt? By yourself or with your kids?


		Krystal is a stay-at-home mom of four children, ages 4-9, whom she homeschools. She is acutely aware of how fast her children are changing and is passionate about keeping family memories alive through photographs. Now and then she gets to help other families’ bottle up their own memories at Krystal Griffin Photography.

Dear Readers… + Desktop Calendar {June 2013}

Mandi — Fri, 31 May 2013 11:59:01 +0000

To download the image above to use as your desktop wallpaper, simply click the image (or this link: June 2013 Desktop Calendar) and choose Save Image As… Then, open the picture, right click and choose Set as desktop background.

Dear Readers…

Despite the heat and humidity it brings in our corner of the country, I really do love summer, and I’m so excited to be heading into the months of ice cream cones, fireflies, late evening walks and park days with friends.

This summer, my personal goal is to connect with local friends weekly despite our busy schedule and the list of projects I have lined up before our newest little one arrives in the fall!

We’re also going to let our older girls choose activities from this year’s 101 Ways to Embrace Summer List each week. I’m not sure we’re up for doing an activity every day all summer long (especially since we’re still homeschooling), but three activities a week feels manageable and like a good way to create an intentional, fun-filled summer without overwhelming mom and dad in the process!

Personally, I’d like to get back to taking photos of the girls with my actual camera this summer. While I love my iPhone and the convenience of being able to capture memories wherever we are (and through Instagram, share them as well!), there’s just something different about capturing a collection of shots on the real camera that I really miss.

As I mentioned last week, Life Your Way is going through a transition this summer as well. You’ll still find great content — including practical tips, projects and ideas for intentional living — but you’ll also find more personal stories and insights from my own life. I’m excited about the change and what the future holds as we get back to our roots!

Finally, now that I’m through the first trimester of my pregnancy (which left me wanting to curl up in a cave somewhere and hibernate until it was over!), we’ll be restarting our weekly newsletter with even more exclusive content. If you’re not subscribed already, you can click here to sign up.

As always, thank you for being part of the site — it wouldn’t be the same without you!


	Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

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On Living a Good Life in Spite of Worry & Fear

Fri, 31 May 2013 11:03:24 GMT

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Allstate for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

source: Mandi Ehman

With today’s global community — made possible by the internet, 24/7 news channels and social media sites — it seems like we’re more aware than ever about the inherent danger of simply living here on planet earth.

Whether by mad men or freak accidents, poor decisions or natural disasters, people are hurt or killed every day. And as a mother, there are days that that terrifies me.

How can I protect these precious girls I’ve been given against all of the unknowns? Do I keep them wrapped in bubble wrap and isolated at home to prevent tragedy? And which is more important, anyway — protecting them or teaching them to really live?

Those are questions I wrestle with often, but at the end of the day I’m a proponent of free range parenting in general — of letting my kids explore and be kids, of teaching them to interact with the world rather than be afraid of it, and of letting them discover their own limits — even though, yes, those things carry risks.

But that doesn’t mean those decisions always come easily!

(In fact, as I’m writing this post, our two middle daughters are playing tag with big, long sticks in their hands, and because I do have my limits, I asked them to please either walk or put the sticks down before they run!)

source: Mandi Ehman

Life involves risk and chance and going outside of your comfort zone, and a life lived in fear isn’t really much of a life at all. Instead, it’s the moments when we take risks and try something new — when our girls conquer the monkey bars or climb high in a tree or learn to swim in the deep end of the pool — that make us feel most alive.

And while the risk is always there, always in the back of our minds, always being weighed against the rewards, it’s those moments we anticipate and celebrate, that we hope will provide the foundation for a life of healthy risk-taking, of pushing the boundaries and striving to do more!

This post is brought to you by the Allstate Good Life. Allstate isn’t just an insurance company for the bad things that happen in life; they’re here to help you celebrate and embrace the good life as well!

How do you balance the fear of something bad happening with truly living?


	Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Life Your Way {Full}

Summer Games: Water Balloon Learning

Planning Tips to Help You Make the Most of Your Summer

Planning & Tips

Activities

For Your Medicine Cabinet

Summer Food

Sorry, You Can’t Have a Chemical Free Life

What is a chemical?

So how did the word “chemical” get such a bad reputation?

Chemical Free?

Lots of things are all natural.

What’s Your Best Morning Time Saver Tip?

Weekly Reads + Budgeting for Books {6/17/13}

This Week’s Reads

With The Girls

A Question for You

Share Your Reading List

Get This Week’s Time Management for Families Bundle for $7.40 {BundleoftheWeek.com}

The Benefit of Taking a Few Steps Back…And a Breath

Take a few steps back.

Take breath and let them take one too.

Stay quiet and calm.

Watch and wait.

Weekend Reading: June 15, 2013

Family {Fun in the Sun}

Work {Blogging as a Business}

Food {Summer Treats}

Comments

*New* Printable 2014 Calendars

What Independent Work Looks Like in Our Homeschool

A Few Shots from the June Photo Hunt

Yes, You Do Like Gluten-Free Food

Fruits and Vegetables

Beans

Eggs

Dairy

Grains and Seeds

3 Steps to Get Your Car Ready for Summer

1. Check your tire pressure & wear, fluid levels, etc.

2. Wash and wax it, inside and out.

3. Clean out any winter gear and replace with summer gear.

$80 Rebate When You Buy Hankook Tires

Fighting My Octopi-Like Tendencies

Setting Up a Summer Learning Schedule

If your child is going into 1st grade:

If your child is going into 2nd grade:

If your child is going into 3rd grade:

If your child is going into 4th grade:

If your child is going into 5th grade:

If your child is going into 6th grade:

More Than a S’more {Easy Oven-Broiled S’mores + 104 S’more Variations!}

S’more Variations

Cookies

Bars

Brownies

Pies

Cupcakes

Cakes

Snacks

Candy & Treats

On a Stick

Breads & Rolls

Dips & Fondue

Ice Cream

Frozen Desserts

Breakfast(ish)

Pastries

It’s…a…BOY! {Gender Reveal Photos}

Support a Local Small Business with GoDaddy’s No WebSitis Contest!

Weekly Reads + The Worst Book You’ve Ever Read {6/10/13}

With the Girls

A Question for You

Share Your Reading List

Inexpensive Ways to Add Outdoor Lighting

5 Paleo/Primal eBooks for Less Than the Price of 1! {BundleoftheWeek.com}

Giveaway: Set of 3 Channellock Pliers for Father’s Day

Enter to Win

Weekend Reading: June 8, 2013

Family {Summer of Learning}

New Printable 2014 Calendars

If your child is going into 1^st grade:

If your child is going into 2^nd grade:

If your child is going into 3^rd grade:

If your child is going into 4^th grade:

If your child is going into 5^th grade:

If your child is going into 6^th grade:

How I Blog {My Interview at HowTheyBlog.com}